Home For Christmas

I give the picture one final glance before I walk out of my office and head for the Jeep. It’s been a long time since I had her in my arms, but I know what we had was real. The night everything changed was the night I was going to make her mine in every way. I knew she was the one. I’d never felt anything like it in my life. And I knew when I kissed her on her eighteenth birthday she felt it, too.

By the time I get to the shelter it’s dark and the snow is coming down heavy. I park and make for the back entrance. I don’t want to cause a scene and if I can sneak in and somehow find Holly I can pull her out of here and explain everything.

When I walk in, I look in the office and see the light is off. There are plenty of people inside the main room and kitchen, so I glance around looking for her.

“She’s not here,” a deep voice says, and I turn around to see Paul smiling behind me.

“Paul!” I exclaim, reaching out and wrapping him in a hug.

“I knew you’d be back.” When I release him I see his dark eyes are twinkling.

“How did you know?”

“A love like that can’t be broken. Even in death. I knew one way or another you’d make it back to her. Eventually.” He shrugs. “When you asked me to watch over her, I thought that maybe something might happen. But I would have looked after Holly even if you hadn’t asked me to.”

“Where is she?” I hear the panic in my voice, but I don’t know how much longer I can wait.

“She left out of here a couple of hours ago. She was headed north, but I’m not sure where exactly. I tried to get her to stay, but she was determined to leave. This storm has gotten worse since she left and I can’t imagine her car is in any shape to be out in it.” He looks sad as he lowers his head and shakes it.

“I’ll find her,” I say with determination.

“She never got over you. Never even tried. She went on with her life, but I could see it in her. There was never another man that would take your place.”

“I never got over her either,” I say, feeling the weight of his words.

“Go and get her. And bring her back home.” I nod, but before I can walk away he grabs my arm. “I made a promise to watch out for her. Now I want you to do the same.”

“I promise. I’ll make sure she never leaves my sight again.”

I run out of the exit and into the snowstorm. When I climb in my Jeep I head north and try to think about which roads Holly would take. I’m on the edge of town and there’s a fork in the road. One way leads to the highway and the other leads to a back country road through the mountains.

There’s no way she would have taken the dangerous back road in a storm like this. I turn my wheel toward the highway and hit the gas. I just hope I can catch up to her, wherever she’s going.

Chapter 5

Holly

I don’t know how long it’s been since I went off the road, but a car hasn’t come by once. My fingers are numb and my lips are blue, but I keep holding on to hope that I can make it to morning. By then it will have warmed up enough and maybe the storm will have passed. I can walk to help by then if my legs aren’t frozen together.

It’s so quiet in the car that I can hear the snowflakes hitting my roof one by one. Every now and then I close my eyes and sleep takes me, only to be jolted awake by my violent shivering.

My eyes are heavy and I lean my head back thinking of Vance and the time we spent together. I’m beginning to feel weak as the time goes on, and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.

Just as my eyes close I hear the rumble of a truck. My adrenaline spikes and I try to open the car door, but it’s frozen shut.

“Help!” I shout and beat on the window. I can see the glow of the battery lights and a little of the red sweater. But just as the sound gets louder, the lights cut off and stop blinking. “Oh no!”

The batteries must have died and I can see the headlight of the vehicle driving past me as it barrels down the road. They don’t even hit their brakes as they pass my snow-covered car and I begin to sob. I cry because I know it’s the end. All the energy I was saving, I used up in that moment of panic and now I’m left with nothing. The vehicle is gone and I’ve lost all hope of being rescued.